


of invasions and gunshots, reunions and dates

by adreamofgallifrey



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Cat Grant Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, F/F, Fluff, Mon-Ew gets yeeted into space cause we all deserve that, Post 2x20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 06:05:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10870653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adreamofgallifrey/pseuds/adreamofgallifrey
Summary: "Kara had known it wasn't the time for emotional reunions and small talk, but she strode over to Cat and engulfed her in a hug that had the smaller woman's feet off the ground, without thought. Cat had been caught off guard, and it could have just been Kara's imagination, but Cat seemed to let out a laugh when she lifted her up.'You're back,' Kara had breathed into Cat's hair.'I said I would be.'"Or, the reunion we all deserve. Set right after 2x20.





	of invasions and gunshots, reunions and dates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [racheltuckerrr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/racheltuckerrr/gifts).



> For Lizi, who is just too kind to me. Thank you for beta reading and the encouragement, Mom.
> 
> This was based on my speculations regarding Cat in the 2x21 promo. However, I haven't seen 'City of Lost Children' yet due to internet problems, so I apologize for any inconsistencies with what's already happened in canon.

The head offices floor of CatCo is bustling with noise and movement when Kara exits the only still-functioning elevator, on the next morning after she and her friends had stopped the Daxamite invasion. She finds remodeling contractors taking photos and measurements, construction workers removing debris and shattered glass, and the company's own employees rushing from one department to another, trying to get their work done amid the circumstances. News don't stop rolling for anyone's convenience after all, not even Cat Grant, Kara thinks.

Just when Kara's thoughts drift toward the returned CEO, so do her eyes. She catches sight of her in the half-trashed office, going over a document from Finance stating how much expenses fixing the building will require. Kara leans against the side of the glass door, latte in hand, and hopes the rush of the day keeps everyone from noticing her as she takes in the view of her boss. Cat seems engrossed in what she's reading, her face resting in the palm of her right hand while the other flips through the pages. Her trademark cat-eye glasses are perched on her nose, which she scrunches in concentration, and Kara can't help but think she looks adorable. Adorable and like she'd never even left. Kara also thinks back to the hectic two days they've just had.

*****

Cat had almost materialized out of thin air soon after Queen Rhea's army arrived in National City. Everything had happened so fast from Kara's point of view; the ships' arrival, Rhea's apparent victory, news of J'onn's immobilization, Lena's injury and Mon-El's failure to stop his mother, James saving Marcus - the one good thing to come out of that night - and then Cat's voice and her face, appearing on every screen in the city. She'd given another one of her inspiring, remarkable speeches, urging the residents of the city to stay calm. She'd reassured, twice, that she was back now, and Kara's heart stuttered in midair and she lost her balance for a moment upon hearing the familiar voice, wondering if that emphasis had been in any way an answer to the last conversation she - no, Supergirl, had had with Cat.

" _I'll be back"_  had echoed in Kara's mind and contrasted with the confident voice confirming that promise, the one that had been playing on repeat then, and several quick decisions were made. She'd opened the commlink and began setting up a plan with Alex, Lucy and Winn, while surveying the fleet of ships that had quickly descended upon her city. Everything had been happening in a blur, and it got even more drastic when Lillian Luthor offered her help and a truce for the time being. Alex had told her the alien bar would be their makeshift base of operations, and ordered everyone to meet there immediately. Kara had decided then, their team was missing one component. Kara had needed something to ground her, to carry her through what was shaping up to be a messy fight; _someone_ to keep her afloat.

She'd met Cat's blown-up eyes on an advertisement screen fitted to a nearby skyscraper, and the intensity she'd found had pushed her back into flight, after she'd been frozen, answering half a dozen people speaking through her earpiece and staring at the ships about to terrorize the city. She'd remembered Myriad and how it was Cat who talked her out of making a decision she would have regretted deeply. It was Cat who, really, saved them all that day. Within seconds Kara had landed on the 40th storey balcony, which had become so familiar to her she no longer needed to calculate her speed or trajectory. Her feet had set on the concrete and it was exactly where she was meant to be.

Cat had been poised on the edge of her desk, ever the queen on her throne, her head tilted in Kara's direction. Her lips broke into a slow smirk, as if she had known Kara would come all along. Of course she had.

Kara had known it wasn't the time for emotional reunions and small talk, but she strode over to Cat and engulfed her in a hug that had the smaller woman's feet off the ground, without thought. Cat had been caught off guard, and it could have just been Kara's imagination, but Cat seemed to let out a laugh when she lifted her up.

"You're back," Kara had breathed into Cat's hair.

"I said I would be."

Kara had set Cat down but kept her hands on her shoulders and asked, "Do I need to get Carter to safety?" Cat had squeezed her waist, and her eyes softened at the thoughtfulness.

"He's already on the CatCo Jet, headed to the other side of the globe. What you need to do is bring me up to speed. What are we dealing with?"

"We're going to brief everyone at the base, so just hang on for now." With that, Kara had lifted Cat again in a secure hold, and took to the sky.

Their flight had been mostly quiet. Kara's senses had overpowered her worries; the way Cat had been hanging on to her, the feel of her face pressed to Kara's neck, and the erratic beating of both of their hearts - all of it had shadowed the imminent fear of what was coming. Kara had said over the sound of her cape flapping in the wind, "I can't help but think of how similar this is to Myriad last year."

Cat had smiled against her neck, bringing butterflies to life in Kara's stomach, and replied, "The thought has occurred to me, too. I suppose it's up to you and me to save the world every year now."

They'd landed near the bar not too long after that, and the entire team sprung into action. Upon seeing the armies that entered the portal, Mon-El had shown where his loyalties lay and joined his mother's side. He'd declared that the idea of ruling over humans was much more appealing than running around in black tights trying to save the unfortunate of them. Kara had burned with an insufferable anger after finding out. She'd given the traitorous prince one too many second chances, and endured his lies and insults, only to be betrayed by him again. She'd felt somewhat guilty even; believed none of this would've happened if she hadn't trusted him.

He and Rhea had released J'onn, but taken Lena to follow through with Rhea's plans. Clark had also joined the team then, and negotiations and fights over how things must proceed with Lillian's involvement broke among the group.

When everyone's roles had finally been settled, the team took up arms and prepared to fight. Cat had followed Alex, who was giving out weaponry and ammunition to DEO agents, and asked, "Agent Scully, I think I'll need one of these too."

"Are you licensed?"

"Seriously? There's an alien invasion out-"

"Yes, seriously!" Kara had said from behind Cat, her front almost brushing Cat's back. "You will not need to fight, Cat." Cat had turned around to face her, the two of them inches apart.

"Look around, Supergirl. I'm the only one here who isn't armed, armored, or superpowered. I'll need something for self defense." Cat had held Kara's gaze, a look that said don't argue with me written all over her face.

"But…I'll protect you," Kara had said, her voice dropping. She'd seen, too, from the corner of her eye, how Alex watched the interaction carefully.

"I know you will, little plane. But your priority should be stopping the wicked witch of Daxam." Cat had brushed Kara's forearm in comfort and continued, "I've reported in war zones; I know my way around a gun, K- Supergirl."

From then on, goodbye hugs and good luck wishes were traded among the members of the team, and the chaos had kept them busy. Alex, Maggie, Lucy, J'onn and James, along with agents and local law enforcement, had taken to the streets to fight the Daxamite soldiers. Lillian had surprised them and kept her promise by sending CADMUS agents for ground support, while Winn and Vazquez provided tech and communication support. It was up to Kara, Cat and Clark to stand up to Rhea, stop the wedding, and close the portal.  
  
Kara had faced Mon-El head-on, in a battle that went on longer than it would have if he hadn't been supported by his troops. He'd kept throwing jabs at her, more insults as he always had, all things Cat countered from the sidelines, which made it rather hard to protect her whenever Mon-El decided to turn his anger on her, but Kara was thankful nonetheless. By the time she had beaten him and saved Lena, Clark and Winn were making progress with reversing the portal, but she hardly had any strength left. But facing Rhea, who had still been in her command ship firing orders, was the final step. Kara had urged Cat to stay behind and not join the confrontation, for fear of what Rhea might have still had up her sleeve. Cat had relented with difficulty.

Rhea, more powerful than ever, had indeed had a backup plan especially designed to stop Kara. She had conspired with Lillian all along, who in turn provided a generous supply of kryptonite to the mad queen. Kara, and all of them, should have seen the betrayal coming. They had just been desperate and outnumbered.

Kara had been sure she'd beaten Rhea when a blade of glowing green pierced her side. Rhea had twisted it inside, puncturing some of Kara's organs, and withdrawn to inflict a few more wounds across Kara's belly. She'd dropped to the ground in agony, and looked up to the queen, who stood victorious and let her guards down. That had been Rhea's mistake, for there was one more ally on Kara's side. Kara should've also known that Cat would follow regardless of warnings. Just as Rhea had asked Kara for any last words and pointed the blade at her chest, a breathless " _Kara!_ " and a gunshot had sounded in unison.

Kara had seen the following milliseconds in a way the other two occupants of the room could never experience. She had been weakened by the stab wound, but not enough to impair her vision. She'd seen Cat's terrified expression down to the smallest beads of sweat on her forehead, her shaking hands on the trigger, the bullet as it travelled in a straight line and collided with the center of Rhea's abdomen. She'd seen the injured woman fall without grace to the floor next to her, and Cat as she let the firearm slip from her hold and ran towards her. Cat had dropped to her knees and cradled Kara against her.

"K-Kara, Kara, are you okay?" Cat had asked, frantic, her hands glossing over the kryptonite dust covering Kara's stab wounds.

"Yes, I'm fine, hey," Kara had said and pulled them up to a standing position, leaning on Cat. "Look, even Supergirl couldn't stop the mighty Queen Rhea, but you did it with a single shot. You've saved the world again, Cat Grant."

It was Cat who had initiated the crushing hug this time. Being in Cat's arms after such a close call had been the moment everything clicked in Kara's mind. She'd finally understood all the feelings of loss and longing she'd felt after Cat left. She'd finally understood why Mon-El never quite made her happy, why her career didn't seem worth it without Cat being a part of it.

Cat had squeezed tighter, and whispered in Kara's ear, "It's not quite saved yet. Let's launch these half-assed villains back to where they came from." Kara had pulled back and beamed at Cat.

"I was thinking much further; like, say, Andromeda."

After that, it had been only a matter of beating the remaining Daxamites and CADMUS agents, which took several more hours. Kara had left Cat in the safety of DEO agents she trusted, and asked them to escort her to her home. Cat had already done her part and there was no need to expose her to more danger. Kara had then joined the battle on the ground. It had been up to her, Clark, and J'onn to round up the Daxamites and their ships, and send them on a one-way trip through the portal - indeed to Andromeda, per her request. Lillian had escaped at some point during the mess she'd helped create, but the team decided that was a battle for another day. All of them had been wasted, but especially Kara, whose injuries had finally caught up to her.

Once the portal was destroyed for good, the casualties counted and the mess left for field agents to deal with, Kara reclined to the DEO at Alex's command. Her sister would not take no for an answer, so Kara had to spend the night in recovery. She'd found, however, several worried texts from Cat, asking if she was fine.

Kara had replied with a simple, "I'm okay, and it's all thanks to you." The three dots indicating that Cat had been typing appeared immediately afterwards.

"Will I see you soon?"

"Yes, at work tomorrow morning, with a piping hot latte. :D"

"You don’t have to do that anymore, you know."

"I want to, Cat. It's always been more about wanting to."

"Be safe and come at 8 sharp, Kara. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Cat," Kara had texted back, before slipping into a deep sleep under the yellow lights of her sunbed, a hopeful smile on her face.

*****

It's 8:06am when Cat looks up from her document. Kara smiles at her, teeth showing and eyes crinkling. Cat lifts the back of her palm to her mouth in an attempt to hide her matching smile, before motioning to the balcony. Kara follows.

Shielded by the wall and curtains of the balcony, Kara removes her glasses and heats up Cat's latte.

"So that's how you do it. Isn't it…radioactive?"

"Nope. We're powered by radiation but we don't emit any," Kara answers. "So, your latte, _Miss Grant._ " Kara says as she extends her hand. Cat's fingers slide over hers as she takes the cup.

"Thank you, _Keira_."

They smile at each other, both comforted by the familiarity of the names and the situation. Cat takes a sip from her latte and turns to lean on the edge of the balcony. Kara joins too, mimicking their positions from that night when they said goodbye months ago. For a while, they simply stand in a comfortable silence, overlooking the torn city. Authorities of all kinds are collecting debris, clearing the roads, ensuring the city will be as safe as possible again. Their gazes switch from the city to each other a few times, and they catch each other in turns, smiling shyly and blushing like kids. Kara breaks the moment eventually.

"Are you just here till the building's revamped, or are you _back_ back, Cat?" Kara asks, her tone hopeful. Cat looks up and bumps Kara's shoulder with hers.

"I'm officially back. I signed to confirm the end of my leave of absence before you came in." Cat smiles.

"Oh. Oh! I'm so glad, Cat!" Kara says and gives Cat a one-armed hug. She removes her head from the top of Cat's, but leaves her hand in place.

"Well, I realized recently that the reason I'd thought I should leave, was the reason I should've stayed all along," Cat says, and her eyes drop from Kara's to her lips for a fleeting moment.

"Would…would you, maybe, like to tell me more about that over dinner, sometime?" Cat smirks at the nervous question.

"Kara Danvers, are you asking me out? On a _date_?"

"I, yes. Yes, I am." Cat turns then to face Kara directly, and Kara puts her other arm around her.

"Okay. Tonight. 7pm."

"Okay." Kara smiles again and doesn't think she'd be able to stop.

Kara leans into Cat, placing a gentle kiss on her right cheek. "This, is for coming back." She places another on the left cheek in the same manner. "This, is for saving my life." Cat's eyes shut and she smiles. Kara continues, this time leaning a short distance away from Cat's lips. "This.." she trails off, giving Cat an out in case she wanted her to stop. When Cat steps closer, Kara follows through. She kisses her softly; it's shy and barely there, but just right. "This, is for saying yes."

"Bold with the secret out in the open, aren't you, Supergirl?" Cat says on Kara's soft lips. Kara laughs.

"It does come with its advantages, yes." And then Kara backs away. The two let go of each other but hold the eye contact, both unable to hide their smiles anymore.

"We have work to do, Kara. All those articles about the invasion won't write themselves. Chop-chop."

"Yes, Miss Grant." Kara exits the balcony walking backwards, still smiling, and she wonders if this is the day she'll finally find out what it's like for her jaw to hurt from smiling so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Tell me what you think!


End file.
